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Pelmanism
J^esson VII
THE
PELMAN INSTITUTE OF AMERICA
New York City
London Paris Melbourne Delhi
Durban
Copyright, 1919, 1926 and 1929
By The Pelman Institute of America
PRINTED IN U.S.A.
LESSON VII
MEMORY AND THE PRINCIPLES OF
MENTAL CONNECTION
CONTENTS page
Foreword - -- -- -- -5
I — The Unity of the Mind 5
II — The Four Stages of Memory 6
III — Registration — Impression 6
IV — Retention and the Stream of
Thought - - - - 9
Sequence in Events.
The Mind- Wanderer.
Connected and Unconnected Facts and Ideas.
Order and Classification.
On Arranging Experiences.
Unifying Knowledge.
Classification and Knowledge.
The Need of Definition.
Marks of the Trained Mind.
V — The Pelman Principles of Mental
Connection ------ 25
The Primary Laws of Association.
The Laws of Association Illustrated.
The Application of Analysis.
VI — Useful Applications of Association 36
VII— Recall 39
The Recollection of Isolated Facts.
An Actress on Memory.
VIII — So-Called "Systems of Mnemonics" 42
Legitimate Use of Artificial Aids.
Recollection in Things Themselves.
IX — Recognition ------ 46
X-XI-Don'ts and This Do - - - - 47-48
XII — Mental Exercises ----- 49
XIII — Health Exercises - - - - - 54
XIV — Appendix — Card Memory - 63
THE PELMAN SYSTEM OF MIND-TRAINING
LESSON VII
MEMORY AND THE PRINCIPLES
OF MENTAL CONNECTION
FOREWORD
Perhaps you are one of the many who com-
plains that you cannot remember, names, dates,
facts, faces and other things. As a result of the
lesson on "Knowledge and the Senses," you now
gather daily a larger amount of material than
ever before. How are you to handle this in-
creasing harvest of facts and ideas? This lesson
gives you the laws of memory and mental con-
nections. By applying these laws you can util-
ize your memory powers effectively, and im-
prove your ability to organize ideas.
I— THE UNITY OF THE MIND
In Lesson II, you learned that the mind is a
unity. For convenience we often refer to the
various aspects of the mind such as feeling,
thinking and willing. These three aspects of the
mind are not distinct separate compartments.
These mental traits are all closely interrelated.
For example, in Lesson IV, you learned that in-
terest (feeling), attention and use are all essen-
6
PELMANISM
tial if one hopes to develop his senses. Again in
Lesson V, you learned Right Willing results
from Right Feeling and Right Thinking. Pel-
manism, recognizing the unity of the mind has
always insisted that the mind should be trained
as a whole — an entity. As you proceed in this
lesson you will recognize that in earlier lessons
you were also learning how to develop good
memories.
^ II— THE FOUR STAGES OF
MEMORY
Memory cannot return to you what you have
never entrusted to it. Impressionor registra-
tion_of materials to be remembered is therefore
the first stage in developing good memories.
Memory cannot return to you what has not
been retained. Retention is the second factor.
Retention of material is of no value, unless it
can be recalled or recollected. Recall, or recol-
lection is the third stage of memory.
For some memory material, we need not only
the ability to recall, but also the ability to recog-
nize the facts or ideas given back by memory as
belonging to our past. Recognition is the last
of the four stages involved in memory.
Ill— REGISTRATION— IMPRESSION
Lesson IV, "Knowledge and the Senses,"
showed you the importance of sensory impres-
sions. To remember everything you experience
MEMORY
7
would be a distinct disadvantage. To forget is
almost as valuable as to remember becausetf "3ll
experiences were retained you would not be able
to distinguish the important from the irrelevant
In short, you must select the things you desire
to remember. Interest aids you to make the se-
lection. What is your life work? (Review
Lesson III.) What is your hobby? What are
your life interests? The answers to these and
similar questions indicate some of the materials
you should select to remember.
Form the habit of attending to the things and
ideas that pertain to your main life interests.
To attempt to remember qveqrthinn|- me^i^ to
Weaken your memory herayse the habit of scat-
termgjj],terests resul^ retention of little
or nothing. Your behavior is controlled in part
by habits, good and bad. Good habits underlie
good memories, bad habits underlie bad mem-
ories. To break a bad habit requires the substi-
tution of a good habit. Develop your interests
and the habit of selecting things to remember
which are related to these interests will grow.
Approach the innumerable experiences which
daily assail your senses with the intention to re-
member the j^v*frn™t^min^s. Confidence in
your ability to remember is the greater part of
the battle. If^ySiTTn'^aninsurance broker you
glance through the newspaper. You note every-
thing related to insurance because your life work
ideas.
8
PELMANISM
gives you a mental set which enables you to
grasp this sort of material. Since you do not
possess a one-track mind, your hobby, radio, di-
rects your attention to an article which carries the
news that an excellent broadcasting station you
have never been able to tune in on, has had its
wave length and power changed. That evening
finds you without conscious effort turning the
dials of your set in an attempt to get the station.
As you ride in the street car you often find
yourself reading the advertisements. An anal-
ysis of the kind of advertisement which attracts
your attention will indicate that it appeals to the
basic inborn tendencies common to all mankind.
The inborn tendencies most often touched are
hunger, self-preservation of life, love of adorn-
ment, and the sex instinct. Attention due to the
appeal of the instincts is called involuntary at-
tention because such attention is given without
conscious effort. Attention that requires effort
and will is known as voluntary attention. One
of the chief tasks of the school and of all life is
to make voluntary attention approximate in its
force involuntary attention. Interest is the
drive, the dynamic force that causes effort to de-
sert voluntary attention which in reality then be-
comes involuntary attention, or what the
psychologists call derived primary attention. In
school you may have detested geography but
now, due to the radio or the epoch-making
flights of Charles A. Lindbergh, you look for-
MEMORY
9
ward to reading about things geographical with
joy. Interest has caused attention to be spon-
taneous and effortless. Such attention insures
good registration, which comprises the first stage
in memory.
IV— RETENTION AND THE
STREAM OF THOUGHT
Retention of material depends upon our men-
tal make-up, the impression, and the way in
which we take things into our mind. You have
learned how to get good impressions. How are
these impressions to be organized?
Ask yourself this question: "Do my continu-
ally changing thoughts and feelings follow each
other at random?" Presuming you are free to
think the matter out quietly, take a sheet of pa-
per and jot down as many as you can remember
of the thoughts of the past hour. It is now, say
9 p. m. At 8 p. m. you were sending your insur-
ance money to the Secretary of the Company,
and, having posted the letter, you returned to
the reading of the book which was put aside for
a moment or two in order to remit your premium
before the days of grace elapsed. You read for
half-an-hourj then a friend called and you dis-
cussed politics for ten minutes. After his de-
parture you were reminded that the basement
bell did not ring, and you attended to the task of
repairing it till nine o'clock.
10
PELMANISM
SEQUENCE IN EVENTS
On analyzing the events of this hour a little
closely, you realize that there is a definite se-
quence: thoughts do not come at random, but
proceed by the law of association. While you
were reading your book, you came across the
word "insurance }" you were reminded of the
pressing importance of dispatching your pre-
mium before it was too late. Having done this,
your interest in the book caused you to return to
it, and for half an hour you were following the
hero and heroine through their trials and tribu-
lations. Then there was a break. A friend's
call and his ardent feelings about certain phases
of politics transported you from a world of fic-
tion to a world of fact. You went at the business
of criticizing your friend's viewpoint hammer
and tongs for ten minutes. He left, perhaps
only half convinced} it was only on shaking
hands with him at the gate that you remembered
the basement bell. You repaired it.
Such is the history of your mental hour. All
its thinkings form a link of associations with one
inevitable break, that of the friend's visit. Of
course you could have avoided this if you had
been so disposed. You could, for instance, have
seen the word "insurance," and even thought of
your insurance policy without acting upon the
thought} and you could have refused to see your
friend on the plea that you were busy. By,.a.vaul-
ingjhe ch&aces-of interruptionj you would have
MEMORY
11
secured greater concentration and obtained a
more complete command over the thoughts con-
nected with the book.
THE MIND-WANDERER
But even a mind that wanders thinks according
to the laws of association. Let us see how this
happens. George Copeland, a young man of
twenty-three, is trying to devise some way of
spending his evening. His thoughts for about
ten minutes are revealed by the following words
which flash through his mind: Palace; Charley }
Miss Turner; fashions; Wanamaker's; Benson;
South America; Patagonians; advertising evils;
Greenwich Village.
He began by wondering what was the best
seat he could afford at the Palace; and then
he wondered if his friend, Charley, could
go with him; from Charley he immediately
passed to Charley's fiancee, Miss Turner; and
from her to fashions, frills and furbelows; then
he thought of Wanamaker's which gave rise in
his mind to the notion of his own firm. His next
thoughts were of the office staff, especially of
Benson who had robbed the safe, and skipped
away to South America. That reminded him of
the Patagonians who were said to be six or seven
feet high, and he wondered whether a man's
height could be raised, as the advertisement said.
Here he paused to meditate on the frauds of ad-
12
PELMANISM
vertisingj and on the way beautiful country out-
looks were made hideous. He was just thinking
he would change his lodgings to a better section
jf the city than Greenwich Village, when Charley
called unexpectedly.
Connected Thinking — The worst mind-wan-
derer in the world has thoughts which are inti-
mately connected in the way just described, even
though in a five minutes' reverie he may begin
with a thought about margarine and finish up
with a speculation about the planet of Mars.
The mischief, however, is often serious. A mfm
who uses his thinking powers in this listless. fash-
ion becomes unable to fix his attention on any-
thing for long j his memory develops deplorable
weaknesses due to inattention; and, as a conse-
quence, self-confidence decreases in correspond-
ing ratio. No doubt there are times when we
should allow the mind to take its own course, or
permit the lapse in which we find ourselves.
The mind must not be drilled unceasingly 5 it
must on occasion "stand at ease," as in the con-
versation of a social evening. But when business
or study is before us, and we have a program to
fill, hour by hour, the more consistently we fol-
low the demands of attention, the better it is for
our mental powers generally. In this lesson we
shall deal with the well known laws of associa-
tion under the general heading of the Pelman
Principles of Mental Connection.
MEMORY
13
CONNECTED AND UNCONNECTED
FACTS AND IDEAS
If you take a random list of words you find
it rather difficult to recall them, because they are
not so grouped as to be an organic whole. Here
is such a list: domey ay glass y manyy ofy white y
eternity y lifey stainsy radiancey ofy coloredy they
like. As a mere list of words it seems to convey
no meaning — but when Shelley used them he
arranged them thus:
Life, like a dome of many-colored glass,
Stains the white radiance of Eternity.1
What a difference!
The introduction of method by means of
grammatical arrangement, and the infusion of
exalted feeling, turns an apparently meaningless
group of words into poetry of the highest order.
We shall proceed, first of all, to point the intel-
lectual moral. There may be in your mind
much that is excellent in itself, but it fails to find
expression because the material is not arranged.
Facts and ideas are scattered round in barren iso-
lation which should be gathered into fertile
groups.
Now the object of this lesson is to provide a
method whereby you will be able not only to
think in a concentrated manner, thus avoiding
the waste of mind-wandering, but to reap the
harvest of your mental efforts. Such a result is
1 Adonais.
14
PELMANISM
worth working for, and if you are at all keen
about it you will easily master the elementary
technique of subsequent pages.
Read the following fifteen words, once only,
and see how many you can write down in the
order given.
Town Lens
Camera Continent
Cat Glass
Island Man
Window Africa
Fur House
Photographer Animal
Warm
In all probability your efforts will not be a
conspicuous success. Let us arrange them, how-
ever, in a connected order; then, after reading
through the list, once only, try to write them
down from memory.
Town
House
Window
Glass
Lens
Camera
Photographer
Man
Animal
Cat
Fur
Warm
Africa
Continent
Island
This time your success will astonish you.
Each idea in the rearranged series of fifteen
words has an obvious association with the idea
MEMORY
15
immediately preceding it, and with the idea
immediately following it. The first list shows
the difficulty of remembering unconnected
ideas j the second list exhibits the ease of recol-
lection when a natural association exists. Our
object, however, is not merely to increase mem-
ory^power, but to assist you in the development
of alogical and creative mind. It wURbe a great
advantage, no doubt, to arrange groups of data
in such a related manner as to be able to recall
them with ease; and we shall show you how this
is done. But it will be a still greater advantage
to be able to focus your attention on the true re-
lationships of a subject, and to arrive at your
own conclusions, unaided.
ORDER AND CLASSIFICATION
The superiority of the second list of words
lies in its g^^fi The first list was a "higgledy-
piggledy5raffair. In the second, we arranged
the words according to the principles of mental
connection, and the haphazard element gave
place to system. ,
There is another sphere in which order is the
secret, and that is the sphere of classification.
We are all classifiers, whether we know it or
not. The boy who brings the newspapers round
every morning is a classifier, but he never calls
himself by that name; and if he were to ask the
boy from a competing news-agent's, whether
he, too, had "classified" his customers, the sec-
16
PELMANISM
ond boy would probably misunderstand. Both
boys are classifiers: they do not grab an armful
of papers, then begin to deliver them, going
here, there, and everywhere, often visiting some
streets three times. Like the postman, they
classify their addresses, and organize the whole
journey so as to deliver the newspapers without
going over the same ground twice. Similarly
the boy at the railway bookstall is a classifier j
he arranges his magazines and papers in a man-
ner that not only appeals to the customer's eye,
but enables him to find at once whatever is re-
quired by a purchaser.
Examples of Classification — Classification, as
a word, is usually associated with the study of
science, or of logic, but, as may be seen from the
illustrations just given, it is a method employed
by all who have to deal with masses of articles.
Without classification the work of distributing
goods would be endless. It is a method used by
the librarian. How else could he find the books
that are wanted? Whichever way we turn we
find this work of classification going on; and
where it is not carried out efficiently there is con-
fusion and failure.
Here is a mechanic wno uses a number of
drills, which are kept in a box at his side. When
he changes a drill, he has to turn over perhaps
ten or twelve before he fingers the right one,
thus wasting time and movement. Someone
suggests that the drills should be classified,
MEMORY
17
marked, and stuck in a "drill plate" in the order
of size. This is done, and the gain in speed and
accuracy is considerable, for the mechanic sees
the drills standing up like a set of organ pipes,
and reaches for the size he wants without touch-
ing the others. Classification in the workshop is
just as necessary as it is in the laboratory of the
scientist.
ON ARRANGING EXPERIENCES
Now, in order to bring the matter home to
you, we are about to ask a personal question.
"Have you learned to classify the facts you deal
with^every day, usually described as Experi-
ence'?" Do you arrange, according to a plan,
all the newthings you learn, or do you accumu-
late them in a general heap? For instance, if
you pick up a popular paper and read that a cer-
tain burglar wrote a book while serving a sen- f
tence, do you simply say "He must have been
a unique burglar" and then forget the matter,
or do you immediately place the fact in its proper
association with other books, some of them fa-
mous, which have been written in prison? If
you do, then your powers work on the principles
of mental connection, you classify your knowl-
edge as it comes to you. If you do noty you will
find that you forget half of what you read, be-
cause its associations are weak. You will also
experience more difficulty in learning, and new
ideas will be slow in coming.
18
PELMANISM
Untidy Minds — Such are the evils of having
a disorderly mind, in which impressions, ideas,
convictions, fancies, and all the phenomena of
consciousness are so poorly arranged that one
never knows where to find anything when he
wants it. Classification is the introduction of
order into the mental life: it makes a place for
everything and puts everything in its place.
"But how do we classify experience?" demands
a reader. "Take the events of an average day
and tell me what I ought to do." Let us try to
show you how it is done.
In the first place, don't make a tremendous
business of it. It is really quite a simple affair
and not one to worry about. If the mind could
not do its own classifying to some extent, ra-
tional life would be greatly impeded. But the
principles of mental connection, fortunately,
work unconsciously. Life would not be worth
living if, immediately you got out of bed in the
morning you had to begin solemnly to classify
the toilet soap, then the towel, then the break-
fast, and so on throughout the livelong day.
There is a time to classify these things, and it is
done unconsciously by repeated use. Begin with
the morning paper j not consciously, with the
teeth set, but with an alert mind, and when you
have found an interesting item about the com-
ing elections, or a paragraph on the chemistry
of soils, or discovered one about a clue to a
MEMORY
19
missing Raphael, connect it with any previous
item you have met with on the same subject, de-
liberately exploring your consciousness for pos-
sible associations by way of similarity or contrast.
You may have no other chance during the day
of exercising your mind in this way; but if you
form the habit you will classify ideas and infor-
mation unconsciously and without effort.
UNIFYING KNOWLEDGE
At first, success may not be marked, but you
will have received a vivid impression of the item
that interested you, and when, some mornings
later, you read a paragraph about some candi-
date, the building of a new Agricultural Col-
lege, or the latest purchase of a Raphael, your
recall of the previous impressions will be in-
stantaneous, and you will thus have classified
and unified your knowledge.
Judgment — As — your knowledge increases
there will come to you the power of judgment;
that ls^opinions of more or less weight wilTbe
formed. You cannot classify two items of
knowledge about mineral oil without compar-
ing or contrasting them; and out of this process
you evolve a conclusion, tentative, it may be,
but a conclusion at any rate. If an item in the
papers about Baku oil contains the information
that a vast new territory was to be opened
up, and an item about Roumania hints that the
wells have practically been exhausted, you could
20
PELMANISM
not very well link the two items together without
drawing an inference as to the probable rise in
Baku shares, and, perhaps, in the price of lamp
oil. The listless absorber of newspaper print
might fail, through force of habit, to register a
connection, but not you.
Importance of Standards — The value of your
judgments or opinions is determined by the ex-
tent of your acquaintance with the best stand-
ards. A popular illustration may be found in
the awarding of prizes at a dog show. If you
were suddenly called upon to act as a judge,
owing to the absence of an expert of canines,
what would be expected of you?i First, your
classification would have to be accurate. If an
owner brought up a basset hound and you classed
it as a dachshund, you would, to say the least,
be discredited in the eyes of your fellow judges.
To them it would be almost as criminal as if you
had mistaken a bloodhound for a pomeranian.
Next, he must have an intimate acquaintance
with the best representatives of each class; he
must have good standards. A knowledge of
these standards comes to him from classified ex-
perience and from the close study of types. The
dictionary defines the word standard as "a meas-
ure of quantity, quality, or value established by
law or general consent." We should prefer to
say that it is established by the scientific method,
of which more anon.
MEMORY
21
CLASSIFICATION AND KNOWLEDGE
It should be clearly understood that these
mental processes which we have tried to explain
by using familiar topics are precisely the same
as those used in all the higher branches of
knowledge. A classification of dogs is just as
legitimate as a classification of stars, of rocks, of
the fine arts, or of human emotions; without
such classifications the acquisition of knowledge
would be a matter of supreme difficulty.
If, for instance, you had to arrange all flower-
ing plants into classes, the better to know them,
an amateur would need half a lifetime to deal
with only one genus; whereas you find that bot-
anists have done this work already, thus simpli-
fying your labors, and enabling you to identify
at once flowers which you have not seen before.
Moreover, you can rem^g^er4^t^lsmcu:jeL^ily
whenk^wfcdgfl concerning them is organized;
and new conceptions ansem thg mifld~ffith
greater readiness. Fortunately, the important
spheres of life and thought have already re-
ceived a provisional classification, and it remains
for us to make use of this fact for the advance-
ment of our own intellectual interests, by mas-
tering such classifications as we need and by
studying individual cases. This brings us to
Definition.
22
PELMANISM
THE NEED OF DEFINITION
Definition, broadly considered, has to do with
what a thing is. Even when we have a classifi-
cation before us, it is not always easy to arrive at
a definition, on account of obscurities which are
continually arising. Here is a case in point.
Some years ago a woman in New York applied
to the courts for an annulment of marriage, de-
claring that when she was married, her husband
had kept from her the fact that he was not white.
To some people this sounds like an absurdity.
They cannot believe that a woman could pos-
sibly have failed to recognize a colored man.
"Impossible" is their verdict. There are white
men, brown men, black men, yellow men, and
"variegated": this makes up the classification.
No doubt, but cases arise in which it is not
easy to say to which of many classes an indi-
vidual distinctly is assigned. The woman re-
ferred to called in experts, who, after examining
her husband, found certain conformations and
colors of the finger nails, among other peculiar-
ities which, despite the apparent whiteness of the
skin, proclaimed the man an immediate descend-
ant of negro or semi-negro ancestors. The wife
won her case. Hence the saying that classifica-
tion deals with groups, and definition with indi-
viduals. They represent two sides of one
thought process. Moreover, a group may some-
times figure as an individual in reference to a
MEMORY
23
larger group, both in the ordinary affairs of life
and also in natural science. Indeed, the sub-
stance of what scientific research has revealed of
the multiplicity of forms of animal and vege-
table life may be represented by a geneological
tree.
MARKS OF THE TRAINED MIND
Two marks of a trained mind are (a) its abil-
ityJ;o classify experience and to deal with indi-
vidual instances, and (b) its knowledge of the
best standards. The reader is, thereiore,^3rged
to introduce more order into his thought-life.
The process itself is often greatly illuminating;
the sudden confrontation of one experience with
a like experience, happening in different circum-
stances, may result in a flash of insight carrying
the mind altogether beyond the limits of the
classification itself.
It must not be forgotten that all our ordered
schemes of knowledge are tentative arrange-
ments; they stand for the best we know, but they
are not final. Thus, in the early nineteenth cen-
tury literary criticism had its own rules for
evaluating prose and poetry, and when a fa-
mous reviewer applied them to Wordsworth's
poems the verdict was uttered in the now famous
words, "This will never do." Eventually, it
was the rules of literary criticism which would
not do, and they were scrapped. The classifica-
tion was wrong, hence the standard of values
could not possibly be true ones.
24-
PELMANISM
It was a wiser world that welcomed Kipling,
whose works did not fit the prevalent classifica-
tion. Speaking of him, in conjunction with Loti,
Mr. Edmund Gosse says: "The old rhetorical
manner of criticism was not meant for the dis-
cussion of such writers as these."1
So while you classify your experience, always
remember that experience transcends classifica-
tion. You cannot put life into a scheme} the
unknown "x" confronts us everywhere. Be pre-
pared tomodif y your classification as you gain
Look forlTie^ are con-
stantly changing. New social standards, money
standards, standards of education and morality
are ever slowly evolving} consequently we are
not surprised when we see differences asserting
themselves. The real question for us, however,
is: "What is the standard now?"We do not mean
in any one thing, but in everything with which
we are concerned. The one safe rule is to know
that standard which stands for excellence.
For instance, a student wishes to begin the
study of Profit Sharing, considered as a payment
from the capitalist to the workman. Some
writers think this is economically sound} others
deny it. Few students begin their inquiries in
any other way but by purchasing an elementary,
and perhaps one-sided discussion of the subject.
He would be much better advised if he went di-
1 Question at Issue, p. 258.
MEMORY
25
rect to a standard authority j or, to the best
writer on one side, then to the best on the other
side. In that way one can easily classify the
writers of lesser calibre and appraise their ar-
guments.
V— THE PELMAN PRINCIPLES OF
OF MENTAL CONNECTION
We now turn to an analysis of the principles
of connection which enabled you to remember
the Town-Island series, appearing on page 14.
Perhaps, as you first studied this list of words,
you were not conscious of the laws of association
which made possible their retention and recall.
A study of these laws will give you the idea of
classifying and the idea> actuated by interest will
give rise to the habit of classifying.
THE PRIMARY LAWS OF ASSOCIATION
The stimulus infant may elicit the response
baby. This illustrates association by similarity.
The word bad may call to mind the word
good. This illustrates association by contrast.
The word door may cause you to think knob.
The word lightning may cause you to think
thunder. The last two examples illustrate asso-
ciation by contiguity (the state of being in close
union or contact). Door and knob are contigu-
ous in space. Lightning and thunder are con-
tiguous in time.
The Personal Element — In going through
26
PELMANISM
any list of connected words you will sometimes
find that a personal association is stronger than
any other. When this is the case you should use
the personal association. You may also find that
two words are capable of being grouped under
two or more of the principles of connection.
This fact arises from the complexity of experi-
ence, which offers us opportunities of taking dif-
ferent points of view. Cane and fain are obvi-
ously connected by similarity of sound} but there
might also be a connection in the mind of a rheu-
matic person who used a cane to relieve the pain
of walking. Who is to say which of these con-
nections takes precedence? For our purposes
the main thing is to perceive possible connections
and to use them to- improve memory and
thought.
Under certain conditions night may suggest
sadness or solitude; under entirely different con-
ditions night may suggest love or haffiness.
Neither similarity nor contrast nor contiguity
resides as a quality in objects or words as they
exist} rather they reside in objects or words as
these objects or wordsjggjst for thoferson who
fer^02^ij^hem. Briefly, tKi attitude orfTftfose
of the perion who makes the association is the
essential criterion.
THE LAWS OF ASSOCIATION
ILLUSTRATED
Because of the findings just described, most
MEMORY
27
psychologists place mental connections under
three main headings:
1. A fsnrAfitinn bv similarity.
(b) in time.
We shall discuss these principles in detail but
not for the purpose of requesting you to learn
the numerous sub-divisions. The outline, we
hope, will make clear the important principles
underlying the three laws: similarity, contrast,
and contiguity.
( 1 ) Association by similarity. The' first prin-
ciple is so named because the connection is due
to the tendency of the mind to note similarities.
The sub-divisions of the principle of similarity
are:
(a) Synonymy. In this case the two words
represent the same idea and have almost
the same meaning; one word can be used
in place of the other without any great
alteration in the sense. For example,
ghost and apparition . jire^sylionymous.
So are poor and indigent;' frequently ,
often; worky labor; emptyy vacant;
tired, weary; question , query; obtain,
procure.
(b) in sound.
2. Association by contrast.
3. Association by contiguity.
(a) in space y
28
PELMANISM
(b) General and Particular. The word
"General" in this sense means class, or
kind of 'thing, but it is always a class or
kind which includes several distinguish-
ing subdivisions known as "Particular."
For example: Animal would be Gen-
eral, and dogy caty or elephant would be
Particular. Flower and daisy is another
example, flower being the General, and
daisy being the Particular. Dog and
terrier are General and Particular} so
are cityy New York; treey oak; fishy cod;
authory Shakespeare; schooly high-
school; movey run; color y green.
(c) Common Denominator. This classifica-
tion is applicable where the two ideas are
of the same sort or kind and can both be
included under a wider or more general
kind known as "General," the two ideas
existing subordinately, or side by side,
within the same general class. Compare
the following examples of the Common
Denominator with the examples already
given of General and Particular. Oak
and elm are Common Denominator, for
they are both trees. Red and blue are
Common Denominator, for they are
both colors. Other examples are Londony
Paris (both capitals) ; dogy cat (both do-
mestic animals) ; walk, run (both being
sorts of movement) j Sunday y Monday
MEMORY
29
(both days of the week) j terrier > foodie
(both dogs) j New Yorky Halifax (both
ports) } cod, herring; Shakes f ear ey Mil-
ton; many woman; colonely captain;
crayony fen; coaty hat; booty stocking.
(d) Whole and Part. This sub-division is
very easy to understand, for it includes
all those cases in which one of the ideas
is a part of the other. Horse and head
would be an instance of Whole and Part,
horse being the Whole and head the Part.
Other examples are: many arm; liony
mane; forest, tree; yeary month; book,
leaves; loafy crust; Canaday Ontario; at-
mosfherey oxygen.
(e) Object and Attribute. Here one of the
two words will be found to denote a per-
son or thing, while the other expresses
some characteristic quality, or attribute,
or action peculiar to that thing. We di-
vide this section into three: (a) Object
and Attribute} (b) Object and Function}
(c) Object and Accessory. For example,
under the first (a) we include snow and
white; ice and cold; lead and heavy;
desert and dry; night and dark. Under
the second, (b) we include fish and
swim; bird and sing; man and walk;
scales and weigh. Under the third, (c)
we include mother and good; heat and
offressive; laziness and failure. Notice
30
PELMANISM
here that although tabley woody is an
example of Whole and Part, yet tabley
woo den y is an example of Object and At-
tribute, for wooden is an adjective.
Tabley wooden tabley would be an ex-
ample of General and Particular, table
here being General, while wooden table
would describe for us the particular kind
or species of table.
(f ) Cause and Effect. The application of this
classification is simple. It is used when
one of two ideas follows as the effect or
result of the other. An illustration is
seen in labor and weariness, in which
labor is the cause and weariness the effect.
Another example would be printing-
fresSy booky the printing-press being the
cause and the book the result. The fol-
lowing are additional examples: Illness,
fretful; wealthy comfort; cloudy rain;
cigar y smoke; clouds y gloom.
(g) Complement. This Principle of Inherent
Connection seldom is used. It occurs in
cases in which one idea demands the ex-
istence of a second and correlative idea in
order to complete the thought suggested,
as parent y child; teacher, pupil; shep-
herdy flock; lecturer y audience.
(h) Sound Similarity. This subdivision dif-
fers from the others in that the connec-
tion occurs between two words whenever
MEMORY
31
one word, or a part of one word, sounds
very much like the other word, or like a
part of the other word. For instance, the
sounds knight and night are perfectly
similar. Bird and Burden is another
good example of this law. Notice that in
Similarity of Sound the similarity should
occur either in the whole word, or else
in the accented syllables. The following
are examples: Pick-axe y axiom; bright y
bride; sony sun; brother y another; ocean y
notion; tenty attentive; flock y flog; stock y
stocking; feety feed; great y grade; tiey
tile; afey April; fooly tool.
The second of the Three Principles of Mental
Connection is the Principle of Contrast. In this
case the connection is not one of mere difference.
It is not sufficient that the two ideas be unlike one
another. In order to be classed under Opposi-
tion or Contrast they must be absolutely con-
trary to one another. For example, wood and
iron must not be classified under opposition, since
though they are unlike one another, they are not
the exact opposite of one another. Hard and soft
are examples of contrariety because they repre-
sent extreme opposites. North and South would
be a case of Opposition, and so would East and
Westy but North and West would not be opposi-
tion, nor would South and West. The following
are examples of Opposition: light y dark; dayy
32
PELMANISM
night; strong, weak; well, ill; war, peace; shorty
long; friend y enemy; thick, thin; idle, industri-
ous; giant y dwarf.
The Third Principle of Mental Connection is
the Principle of Contiguity. In this case the con-
nection does not arise out of any similarity be-
tween the two ideas themselves, but is due to the
fact that the two ideas happen to have been pre-
sented to the mind under circumstances likely to
bind them together, so that the thought of one
recalls the thought of the other. Wellington
and Waterloo are examples of Contiguity, for,
although there is no similarity between the two,
one can scarcely think of Wellington without
thinking also of the Battle of Waterloo. Again,
roomy and chair would be an example of Con-
tiguity y the two objects are in no way related
save that they usually exist together in time and
space. One never thinks of chair without bring-
ing to mind the thought of room. Other ex-
amples are: water y can; watch y pocket; city, traf-
fic; holiday y country; lightning, thunder.
Connections by Contiguity are often purely
personal in their character, and depend upon the
special knowledge or experience of the indivi-
dual. To a man who kept a tame monkey in his
garden the example "gardeny monkeyyy might
be a strong instance of Contiguity, though to the
majority of persons the connection would be un-
noticeable.
The three Principles of Mental Connection —
MEMORY
33
similarity, contrast, contiguity , — are of greatest
importance and should be mastered thoroughly.
The subdivisions are given to enable you to learn
through many illustrations the three main prin-
ciples.
THE APPLICATION OF ANALYSIS
Let us now proceed to examine the application
of these Three Principles of Mental Connection
to the list of fifteen words as re-arranged on
page 1 4. ( See below) . It was by means of a sub-
conscious recognition of these Laws that you
were enabled to remember the list so readily.
The conscious and deliberate analysis of the con-
nections would have made the task still more
easy and the recall more nearly permanent. In
the following example you should reason out
carefully for yourself each connection:
Town
House
indow
Glass
Lens
Camera
r H
Whole and Part S Wi
Attribute and Object ^
Contiguity | p
General and Particular ] Man
t Animal
Whole and Part {
Object and Accessory {
Common Denominator |
Now, without reading this series of words
again, endeavor to write this list backward, be-
Cat
Fur
Warm
Africa
Continent
Island
Whole and Part
Whole and Part
Whole and Part
General and Particular
General and Particular
Object and Attribute
General and Particular
34
PELMANISM
\
ginning with the word "island" and working
back to the word "town." This also you will
probably achieve without hesitation.
The Repetition of a "Series" — When repeat-
ing any similar series of connected words, say the
words of the series alone, and do not repeat or
trouble to think about the classification. The
classification enables you to learn the series in
the first instance, so that afterward you can re-
peat the series itself without recalling the classi-
fication. At first never attempt to learn a series
of connected words merely by several repetitions
of the words, but always by classifying in accord-
ance with the connecting laws. In time you will
be able to remember a list of words without con-
sciously making the analysis. Perhaps you can do
this now.
The Translation of "Series" — If you know a
foreign language, you will find that you can
translate the "Town" Series into that language
and repeat it forward and backward as easily as
in your native tongue. Such an exercise is of
great value to all who are studying foreign lan-
guages. A series which contains examples of sim-
ilarity of sound should not be translated unless
an equally striking similarity of sound exists be-
tween the two words after translation. If you
study the following series of one hundred words
carefully, taking about a dozen words at a time
and analyzing the connections as you did in the
"Town" series, you will find that you can im-
MEMORY
35
mediately repeat the whole series from memory,
forward or backward. Like the words "Town"
to "Island," the Series from "Island" to "Deep"
may be translated into any language.
Continuation of the "Town" Series:
Island
Strong
Needle
Coal
Sting
Water
Steel
Sew
Mine
Bee
Drink
Battleship Garment Quarry
Queen
Eat
Gun
Cnat
Stone
King
Breakfast Shell
Si PPVP
oicc V t
Monument Crown
Morning Explosion
Arm
Great
Gold
Night
JVound
Hand
Small
Money
Sleep
Surgeon
Finger
Child
Wealth
Bed
Physician
Ring^
Girl
Luxury
Soft
Medicine
Marriaj
je Pinafore
Motor Car
Hard
Quinine
Church
Apron
Wheels
Diamond Bitter
Organ
Dainty
Round
Sapphire
Sweet
Music
Delicate
Earth
Blue
Pleasant
Song
Fragile
Sun
Green
Holiday
Words
Care
Sun Dial
Leaf
Voyage
Book
Careless
Clock
Plant
Ship
Author
Lazy
Time
Garden
Sail
Pen
Punish
Space
Bird
Canvas
Ink
Whip
Wide
Eagle
Cotton1
Black
Birch
Deep.
Mind-Wandering — It is obvious that there is
practically no limit to the number of words that
might be committed to memory in this way, be-
cause the mind is never troubled with more than
two ideas at a time. If the student cares to con-
1 Before translating, place "thread" between cotton and needle.
36
PELMANISM
struct a series of his own, he will find that, if the
ideas come within the laws of connection when
taken two at a time, and if he carefully compares
each pair before proceeding to the next pair, he
can remember a series of a thousand words as
easily as he remembers a series of twenty.
When constructing a series you should take
care that each word you add has a more intimate
connection with the word immediately preceding
it than with any word a few steps earlier in the
series. Thus, in the "Island" series, it would be
unwise to write "Island, water, drink, liquid"
for although there is a connection between
"liquid" and "drink" there is a still closer and
more obvious connection between "liquid" and
"water." If you were to write "water, drink,
liquid," it would suggest that when you wrote
the word "liquid" you had failed to drive out
from your mind the idea of "water." Your atten-
tion was centered more strongly on "water"
than on "drink."
VI— USEFUL APPLICATIONS
OF ASSOCIATION
Suppose that you have to learn the thirty-six
exceptions to the rule that in Latin all nouns of
the third declension ending in is are feminine.
Many a schoolboy has labored hard and long
over these thirty-six words, only to forget them
again, and never to be sure that he knew all of
them.
MEMORY
37
Let us arrange these thirty-six exceptions in
pairs so that we shall have to pay attention to
only two of them at a time. The connection may
not be so obvious as in the first series, but a little
(English)
(Latin)
(English)
(Latin)
Mullet
Mugilis
Bundle
Fascis
Fish
Piscis
Club
Fustis
River
Amnis
Lever
Vectis
Canal
Canalis
Axle-tree
Axis
Ditch
Scrobis
Ploughshare
Vomis
Worm
Vermis
Sword
Ensis
Dust
Pulvis
Nail
Unguis
Path
Callis
Blood
Sanguis
Hillock
Collis
Snake
Anguis
Stone
Lapis
Dormouse
Glis
Fire
Ignis
Net
Cassis
Firebrand
Torris
Hair
Crinis
Bellows
Follis
Rope
Funis
Ashes
Cinis
Collar
Torquis
Fine Flour
Pollis
Circle
Orbis
Bread
Panis
Month
Mensis
Cucumber
Cucumis
End
Finis
Cabbage
Caulis
Doorpost
Postis
Now, a peculiarity about a list of words learnt
in this manner is that it is not necessary to repeat
the whole list to discover whether any particular
word is in it or not, because, if the word is in the
series, it will immediately recall the word with
which it was associated. If it is not, it will recall
nothing. You do not need to repeat the "Town"
38
PELMANISM
series of words to tell us that "cat" was in it, and
that "annex" was notj nor the second series to
tell us whether or not ensis, piscis, finis or cassis
are exceptions. Whether you learn the series in
English or Latin makes no difference, provided
you know the exact meaning of the Latin words.
Clues to Over Three Thousand French Words
— More than three thousand words with the fol-
lowing twenty-two endings are spelled the same
in French as in English.
able.
Abominable.
ace.
Disgrace.
cle.
Ohstacle.
ade.
Hiarricade.
al.
Illegal,
ance.
Resistance.
ant.
Constant
ence.
Patience.
ent.
Impatient.
ge-
Rage.
ible.
Reprehensible.
ice.
Avarice.
ite.
Petite.
ct.
Strict.
ine.
DiscipbW.
ion.
Legion.
tude.
Multitude.
gue.
Demagogue.
ule.
Ridicule.
ure.
Caricature.
ile.
Hostile.
et.
PamphW.
MEMORY
39
La brochure is French for an ordinary pam-
phlet: le pamphlet for a hostile pamphlet only.
It will be observed that these twenty-two spe-
cimen words, forming the "Abominable" series,
selected from the larger list of three thousand
odd, are joined together by the Principles of
Mental Connection.
How this principle of mmparjffpr ^nH classify-
ing ideals may be appheo^^fy and at^t™0^
to the infinitely various problems of memory
wilinSe* shown as the lessons proceed. Some ap-
plications will be immediately obvious, such as in
speaking without notes. What are notes for but
to remind vou of that whicK^me^
minister, the lawyer, or the lectui^1 does not
jump from the idea with which he starts to some-
thing totally foreign to his subject. tjis-i«*e of
thought and argument, with _ggProPr^a^p illus-
tratfon, is planned out beforehand and divided
into^ heading's: if these divisions fotlSw^ne
another logically, he has only to write them
down and compare them two at a time, classify-
ing the connection, to remember each of them in
its exact order, regardless of their number. If
you are a public speaker, try it. If you do not
know what comes next in your discourse, the
arrangement of your topics is probably inept.
VII— RECALL
In discussing impression and registration of
material, of necessity we have to touch upon re-
40
PELMANISM
call — the third stage in memory. The greater
the number of logical associations formed when
material is first learned, the greater the number
of contacts and clues we possess to recall or re-
collect that material. When attempting to recall
something, seek these contacts and clues with per-
sistence and confidence. If you desire the name
of an author, think of the title of a book he has
written} recall the main ideas in the bookj where
and when you read the book, etc. If you find
yourself still unable to give the author's name,
slowly recite the alphabet — ay by c, dy ey j —
Faraday comes to you immediately.
THE RECOLLECTION OF ISOLATED
FACTS
The subconscious action of Association may
sometimes be employed effectually in the effort
to recall an isolated fact, the remembrance of
which cannot be awakened easily by any other
means. The method is to return to the surround-
ings in which you last were aware of the fact you
wish to remember. Forj^mp^
mislaid a bunch of keys, you may remember
where you placed them if you go back to the
place where you know you last used them. If
you have "forgotten" the funny story told you
by a friend, it may recur to you if you think of
what preceded it. The reproduction of some of
the component elements in a situation tends to
revive in the mind the impressions made by
MEMORY
41
other component elements which may not be ac-
tually reproduced without such stimulus. It is,
of course, impossible to classify these purely ar-
bitrary associations, depending as they do chiefly
upon propinquity of time and place.
AN ACTRESS ON MEMORY
In this connection, it is interesting to record
what Mrs. Kendall, the celebrated actress, has to
say about the way in which actors and actresses
remember their speeches. She says:
"The memory can be cultivated, like any
other faculty, up to a certain pitch. Practice
works wonders. If you have not played a part
for years, the re-reading of it three or four times
only will bring it back to you. There is much op-
portunity on the stage to help our memory. We
have what is called the 'business' of the scene.
The fact that you have to do certain things
brings a certain line back to your memory. Often
when you enter your house, and sit at the same
place and at the same table, the memory of the
past returns, 'C'est la meme chose sur la scene.'
A little bit of 'business' brings back a speech} the
remembrance of a speech brings back a bit of
'business:' the one helps the other. Still, though
an exceptional memory is not absolutely neces-
sary, it is an enormous help.
"The most extraordinary instance of memory
that I personally remember was that of old Mr.
Buckstone, who used to come upon the stage at
42
PELMANISM
rehearsals, reading his part and not knowing a
word j but he would come on at night, and the
clothes, and the situation, and the whole thing,
brought the words back to him, I am speaking
of the repetition of an old part. The fact of put-
ting on the clothes, and dressing for the part,
and speaking about it for a little, brought it
back"
VIII— SO-CALLED "SYSTEMS
OF MNEMONICS"
Various systems of Mnemonics are founded
upon arbitrary associations of locality. In some
of these, the pupil is directed to rule a square
sheet of paper into nine or sixteen squares, and
to imagine that he sees in each square a word or
picture indicative of the fact to be remembered.
It would be appalling to contemplate the chaotic
state of a mind subjected to such a tax through
several weeks of diligent study. A somewhat
similar system instructs the pupil to locate and
picture in imagination all the facts he wants to
remember, as being present in some room fam-
iliar to him. There would be obvious impedi-
ments in the way of applying this method to the
memorization of a list of the Presidents of the
United States, or the mountains of Europe, or
the Emperors of Rome.
LEGITIMATE USE OF ARTIFICIAL AIDS
But although the systems just mentioned are
not in accord with the laws of psychology, it
MEMORY
43
must not be assumed that every artificial aid to
memory is to be condemned as worthless. Thou-
sands of students of physics have remembered
the order of the colors in the spectrum by the ar-
tificial word "Vibgyor," in which V stands for
violet, I for indigo, B for blue, G for green, Y
for yellow, O for orange, and R for red. Again,
the letters p,a,d, forming the word "pad" give
the initials of the membranes of the brain from
within outward: p — piaj a — arachnoid j d —
dura.
The cutaneous nerves crossing the region of
the Iliac crest may be remembered by the word
"slide," in which s — sacral nerves j 1 — lumbar
nerves j i — ilio-gastricj d — dorsal, and e — exter-
nal cutaneous.
Pike's Peak is 14, 147 feet high. This number
can easily be remembered because it consists of
two 14's and a half of 14. Telephone numbers
can often be remembered by the application of
the same principle. Take the telephone number
114. If one were born on the 4th day of the
11th month, 114 can easily be remembered.
There are undoubtedly hundreds of similar ap-
plications of these principles.
A school pupil studying history may use the
following device:
L — Lexington, battle of, 1775.
I — Independence, Declaration of, 1776.
B — Burgoyne's campaign, 1777.
E — Evacuation of Philadelphia, 1778.
44
PELMANISM
R — Richard, Bonhomme, Paul Jones, 1779.
T— Treason of Arnold, 1780.
Y — Yorktown's capture, 1781.
Thus the word liberty and date 1775 serve as the
bases for the associations.
Rhyme as an Adventitious Aid to Memory —
Verse is usually memorized with greater rapidity
than prose, and this is largely due to associations
of rhyme and rhythm. For this reason verse may
occasionally prove to be a short cut to the recol-
lection of certain facts. Probably most of us owe
our recollection of the number of days in each
month to the old rhyme: "Thirty days hath Sep-
tember."
It cannot be too strongly insisted upon that
such expedients as those illustrated in the last
paragraphs should be considered merely as aids
and not in any way as a substitute for a true
psychological development of the memory, such
as that embodied in the Pelman System.
RECOLLECTION IN THINGS
THEMSELVES
It is in the little things of life that the ability
to remember without a note-book is the most
useful. Two men at the club look very much
alike. One is named Weissmann and the other
Gardner. Weissmann wears glasses, and you
select that peculiarity to distinguish the two men
because there are two s's in "Weissmann" and
also in "eyeglass."
MEMORY
45
Two foreign words confuse you, and you can
never recollect which is which. Let us suppose
that they are the German words "unten" and
"unter," one of which is an adverb, while the
other is a preposition. The only difference be-
tween the words themselves is in the final letters,
"n" and "r." Compare the alphabetical order of
these final letters with the alphabetical order of
the initials of the words "adverb" and "preposi-
tion," and the agreement is at once apparent. In
this case it is not the meaning of the words that
you wish to fix, but their use.
In an examination in geography, a little girl
could never remember which mountain chain
had the broader plateau, the Rockies or the
Andes. When it was pointed out to her that
there was an "n" in "Andes" and in "narrow,"
and none in "Rockies" the idea became fixed.
The "Oxford" color is dark blue and the
"Cambridge" is light blue. There is an "i" and
also a "g" in "Cambridge" and in "light" j there
is neither in "Oxford" and in "dark."
To remember the difference between the com-
plement and the supplement of an angle in ge-
ometry: the "complement" is what remains after
subtracting from "one" right angle; the "sup-
plement" is what remains after subtracting from
<ctwo" right angles. Observe that there is only
one "p" in "complement," and that there are two
in "supplement," which agrees with the number
of right angles in each term.
46
PELMANISM
IX— RECOGNITION
Recognition,) the last stage in memory, implies
that we react toward an object of past experience
with a feeling of familiarity which could not oc-
cur the first time the object was experienced.
Recognition does not depend entirely upon recall
because the baby appears to recognize before he
gives evidence of recall. Furthermore we are all
aware of the fact that we recognize the meaning
of words which we would be unable to recall for
use in our speaking vocabulary.
Recognition probably does not depend upon
recall but it does rest upon association, the same
basis upon which recall is built. If necessity de-
mands recall instead of mere recognition, then
one should deepen and enrich the associations
so that recall is possible. From this viewpoint
recognition is the step in memory which precedes
the more developed step — recall. However, the
mere ability to recognize is frequently adequate
for the need at hand. The person alone con-
cerned can make the decision as to whether or
not the ability to recognize is the only trait de-
sired.
MEMORY
47
X— DON'TS
"Don't allow your resolutions to crumble j
just continue in the spirit with which you be-
an the Course.
2. Don't complain that you are a "born mind-
wanderer." You may be, but conquer the
habit by discipline. Hundreds have suc-
ceeded before you.
3. Don't skim this Lesson. Go over it until you
know it.
4. Don't fail to test your knowledge by self-
questioning.
5. Don't be satisfied with a ^//-knowledge of
anything. Be thorough.
6. Don't forget that the formal exercises we
prescribe, will, if practiced, enable you to do
unconsciously what was, at first, a conscious
effort.
48
PELMANISM
XI— THIS DO
1 . In all mental training, effort should be car-
ried out in a rational manner. Therefore,
however diligently you work at mental con-
nection see to it that your mind has its periods
2. Decide what classifications you need in (a)
your calling, and (b) for your private studies.
3. Begin to use the principles of mental con-
nection as an aid in the evolving of new
ideas.
4. Make it a matter of conscience, of fridey if
you will, to work for certain prescribed pe-
riods of time without allowing your mind
to wander.
5. Remember that mental training involves
moral training. The virtue of perseverance
is really the power of concentration in one of
its many forms of expression.
MEMORY
49
XII— MENTAL EXERCISES
EXERCISE XXII
There are no doubt several subjects of the
greatest importance to you personally, either be-
cause you are deeply interested in them or be-
cause they concern your calling. Thus, for a
paper manufacturer, any new item connected
with glazing or water marks would instantly at-
tract attention. A paragraph about a cutting ma-
chine might not attract the same notice} and one
about a new fibre might be read without more
than a passing wonder. Nevertheless, both of
these items may, ultimately, be of real import-
ance to the paper-maker. The cutting machine
may be more efficient for paper than the knives
he is using, and the fibre may become an ingre-
dient in a new sort of paper.
This means that no sort of "cutter," and no
kind of fibre, can be matters of indifference to
the paper-maker j but the only way in which he
can contribute to progressive movements is to
classify all cutting machines and all materials
that are likely to come into line with his purposes.
If he fails in this respect it will be because the
information in his mind, gathered from all
sources, is unorganized} its possibilities can be
appreciated only according as it is classified.
Now, put yourself in the place of the paper
manufacturer. Instead of the items which con-
cern but which may escape him, discover those
50
PELMANISM
which concern you. They are probably there in
your consciousness, awaiting proper organiza-
tion. As yet, the work of classifying and evalu-
ating is incomplete. You are, therefore, losing
a certain number of ideas which might be of
great service. The man who is mentally alive
does not lose them 5 he becomes the leader
among his fellows,
"But," you ask, "how am I to begin? Your
advice sounds good, and yet I don't know how to
make a start." We shall tell you by suggesting
a series of questions.
(a) What is the object of your calling?
(b) How does it differ from closely allied call-
ings?
(c) When did new and advantageous methods
appear, and who invented them?
(d) In what other occupations are processes
used similar to yours? Can you learn any-
thing from them?
(e) Have you unified all the knowledge you
have obtained about your calling?
To answer these questions properly is not a
simple matter, get pen and paper and do the
thing thoroughly. It is an excellent exercise in
itself, and it has other values of importance. Let
not the student object that as an exercise it deals
with trade and commerce, not with studies. Sub-
stitute the word studies for calling and the ques-
MEMORY
51
tions are equally apposite. The exercise is not
one that can be worked in an hour j it is rather a
continuous process extending over a period, un-
til memory has yielded up all its material, and
the judgment has assessed its value. It applies
to the employee as well as the employer, if the
employee makes the employer's affairs his own
concern.
EXERCISE XXIII
To repeat from memory a series of connected
words which you have drawn up for yourself is
not as good an exercise as to repeat a list which
has been drawn up by someone else. The reason
is obvious. In your own list the connections
have been strengthened by the effort of imagina-
tion j in the other list, it is necessary to perceive
the connectives of another mind. Use the.
"town" series and its continuation.
EXERCISE XXIV
At some time or other, everybody is called
upon to make a speech. It may be a great occa-
sion with an audience of thousands, or a small
occasion like a presentation occupying a few
minutes. In any case a certain order of ideas
must be observed, and to remember this order is
important. Here the principles of connection
are a real help. Suppose you have to take part
in a debate on "Is a lawyer justified in defending
a prisoner of whose guilt he is cognizant?" The
affirmative speaker has resumed his seat, and you
52
PELMANISM
now stand up to argue the following points,
which you wish to argue from memory.
(a) It degrades Justice into a competition of
skill between two lawyers both of whom
believe in the prisoner's guilt.
(b) It defeats Justice by clever but insincere
pleading.
(c) The lawyer becomes an accomplice of the
prisoner when he deliberately frustrates
the intention of -the Law he ought to
uphold.
(d) The lawyer who acts a lie cannot retain his
self-respect.
The main ideas of these four divisions can be
"keyed" together in the following way: De-
grades, defeats, accomplice, self-respect.
Some students being good visualizers, they do
not find it necessary to do more than to study
the outline closely j they see the points mentally
when speaking. Others can "see" nothing, and
need a word series to fall back upon in case of
momentary forgetfulness. In any event the ex-
ercise of forming such a series is good from
every point of view: concentration, analysis,
classification, and logical sequence.
MEMORY 53
EXERCISE XXV
Fill in the blanks of the following story.
Each blank stands for one word. In some cases
the first and last letter of a word are given.
"The sergeant had been through .'WouM*-^.
battles, in the last encounter half of his jaw had
been . Vj^^y^* • awaY- When in the hos-
pital, he bore his sufferings p . . . . y,
3 |
until the .time when he began to be well x^/ ^ . A
. ^Jt<4»4tt~for his relations to . . . .
him. Then he was nervous. He was especially
nervous about . . . v^s^w^ . wife's seeing his
6
fractured . and
the nurse pitifully to give him w A*?vWV^\ . . .g
9
of the approaching visit, so that he might
. .^A*^jL/\*f himself for the ordeal. 'Pm a
coward/ he lamented. When his wife came, he
V^tefy^1^' ' ^mself ^or ^e ordeal. She
was wonderfully brave. Just for a moment she
shuddered, then . >'^J^:\^^v^him."
12
54
PELMANISM
XIII— HEALTH EXERCISES
SEVENTH LESSON
It is merely the instinct of self preservation
that causes one to put aside a little sum of money
during his youth in order to make the declining
years easier. It should also be to one's advan-
tage to conserve or build in a physical sense for
those days. It has been said that Americans are
too energetic in their games and contests, but this
can only be said of those who indulge in special-
ized activities in which competition is very keen.
Insurance companies inform us that the average
span of life has increased from thirty-three
years to fifty-three in the last twenty years.
This refutes an over-specialization that is harm-
ful. It would also indicate that there has been
a very sensible attitude toward rational exercise.
That there is a far more universal tendency to
take exercise in some form is self evident. Golf,
tennis, dancing, hiking, and bathing are all be-
ing indulged in now by more people than twenty
years ago. The danger lies, not in overexercise
as much as in the fact that middle age will
find people adopting only seasonal sports and
remaining idle in out-of-season time. In order
to keep one's muscle tone in its proper condition,
simple enjoyable home exercises should be taken
regularly every day.
MEMORY
55
WEIGHT LIFTING
Inasmuch as stretching is our watch word we
begin as usual with some form of exercise that
serves that purpose. Use your favorite in-bed
exercise first j then, as soon as you get up, Stand
Straight for a few seconds. In this position
gradually raise the arms sideward and upward
over the head, have the palms of the hands up
and be sure that the chest is high and the hands
are kept pretty well back of the shoulders. Now
imagine that you have a weight in each hand and
continue to raise them until they are straight
over the head, the palms up and the hands
facing the sides (Fig. 66). Now the weight
grows heavier and you find that it pulls your
arms down to your sides again. Make an effort
to resist this downward movement, but at the
same time allow the arms to return to the orig-
inal starting position. Always remember to
keep the hands well back of a line drawn
through the shoulders. If you care to rise on
the toes as the arms go up it will bring into play
the lower muscles also. Ten to fifteen times is
enough to start with.
56
PELMANISM
MEMORY
57
WARMING UP
Stand erect and raise your arms forward to
the height of the shoulders} the hands are the
width of the shoulders and palms are facing
down. Shoulders are square, the head up and
chest high (Fig. 67). Swing the arms sideward
keeping them slightly higher than the shoul-
ders j as the arms move turn the palms up.
When your hands are at the side the palms are
up and there is a noticeable feeling of strain on
the upper back muscles. As you swing the arms
sideward, raise the heels from the floor slightly
and bend the knees just a little (Fig. 68). Now
swing the arms back to the starting position, turn
the palms down, lower the heels and straighten
the knees. This is a very rapid, active move-
ment and should be taken about twenty times in
ten seconds. Forty times will be enough.
HYGIENE EXERCISE— STARTING
POSITION
When you take up the Hygienic Exercise the
starting position is given first and then the actual
work is given to counts for simplicity. Stand
with the feet eighteen inches apart, chest high,
head up, and place the finger-tips alongside of
the shoulder muscle on each side, elbows down
and close to the sides of the body (Fig. 69).
This position will be used once again in another
lesson.
MEMORY
59
HYGIENE EXERCISE— Continued
Counts are 1 .... 2 .... 3 .... 4.
Count 1 — Begin by bending forward. The
hands at the same time are extended downward
so that the finger tips touch the floor (Fig. 70).
Make the effort to touch the floor without bend-
ing the knees.
Count 2 — Raise the body to the erect position
and bring the finger tips to the shoulders again
(Fig. 69). When doing the arm work raise the
elbows as high as the head, the body being erect.
Then with plenty of force lower the elbows to
the sides and place the finger tips to the side of
the shoulder. You are now in the starting po-
sition.
Count 3 — Extend the arms straight upward
over the head, fingers extended as if touching
the ceiling. Look up as you stretch the arms up
(Fig. 71). This movement is also a rapid force-
ful one.
Count 4 — With a vigorous snap return the
arms to the side of the shoulders. This exercise
is not jerky but should be taken with plenty of
action and to a rather fast regular count. Ten
times will be plenty to start with.
ROWING
The imitative exercise for this lesson is best
taken while sitting on the floor. It may seem
somewhat difficult at first but should be repeated
for a few mornings until the whole movement
60
PELMANISM
MEMORY
61
ROWING— Continued
becomes rhythmic and easy. If you have ever
rowed a boat, this description will be unneces-
sary. Just sit on the floor, or the bed if you
wish, and go through the motions of rowing.
However, for those who are not acquainted with
the action of rowing, the thing to do is to sit
down on the floor. Stretch your legs out in front
of you with your feet together, body erect, and
hands held out in front of you as if reaching for
your feet. Imagine that you have an oar in your
hands. Now stretch forward as far as you can
go y you are reaching for the water (Fig. 72).
Now suddenly snap your hands upward to about
the level of the chest just as if you were catching
the oar in the water j then with the hands, wrists
and arms in a straight line gradually lean back
as far as you can go without putting too much
strain on your abdomen: imagine that you are
pulling your oar through the water. When you
are pretty well back, stop the body motion and
begin to pull the hands up to the chest (Fig. 73).
When they are almost touching the chest, sud-
denly snapping the back of the hands upward
and scooping the wrists downward along the
abdomen, extend them toward the feet and let
the body rise to its starting position. During the
entire movement the back should be straight and
the shoulders well back. Repeat five or six times
at first.
62
PELMANISM
SUGGESTION
There is no safe and sane cure for obesity.
Drugs, even under the care of a physician, are
questionable. Cure-alls are positively danger-
ous. Diet is somewhat risky unless properly
prescribed. Exercise is only of value in pre-
venting the accumulation of fat. It is of some
help in reduction but a combination of diet and
exercise will be the safest method of prevention.
Consult your family physician for the proper
form of diet, and then, using your exercises as
prescribed there will be no question as to the
safety of your methods. An ounce of preven-
tion is worth a pound of cure, or better still, a
sheaf of doctor's bills.
Reference:
Stand Straight. Door Edge.
Rolling.
Twisting.
Chop Wood.
Horn Pipe.
MEMORY
63
XIV— APPENDIX
CARD MEMORY (1)
This exercise should not be regarded as an in-
tegral part of the lesson. It is given here only
for the use of those who are interested in this
popular pastime. Those who are not interested
in cards may omit it.
There are many things that one wishes to re-
member for only a short time, but which must
be recalled with great accuracy. The ability to
do this depends on two things $ trained observa-
tion, and the power of undivided attention for
the time being. You must see things exactly as
they are and you must not allow yourself to
think about anything else. Artificial aids to the
memory are not of the slightest use. The mem-
ory you have is strong enough for all purposes.
All it needs is a little training.
There are many instances in which the ability
to retain facts for a temporary period is particu-
larly useful, and in which the want of it is keenly
felt by those who do not understand its secret.
An excellent illustration of this type of memory
and one which will doubtless appeal to a large
class of people, is what is called "card memory,"
which refers to the ability to remember the cards
played in a game. One constantly hears the re-
mark: "I have no memory for cards," or; "I
never can remember what is out." There should
be no difficulty about this. The trouble is that
64
PELMANISM
these people do not know how to go about cor-
recting their deficiency.
Let us suppose that the game is bridge, or
auction, and you wish to improve your "card
memory Do not wait until you are engaged in
an actual game, because other things will then
distract your attention. This attention, based
on interest, is one of the things absolutely essen-
tial to success, but it must be cultivated under
favorable circumstances, until such time as it be-
comes a pleasure, rather than a task. Bridge
players learn the conventional bids, the proper
leads, and all such things, in private lessons, be-
fore they venture to cut into a rubber with
strangers. Card memory should be acquired in
the same way} but you do not need a teacher j
you can train yourself.
Let us see how we can apply the mind to this
problem of remembering cards, so that it shall
act in accordance with the principles already laid
down for the recollection of other things. The
technique of card memory is not different from
that of any other memory. All depends on the
proper exercise of comparative faculty, upon the
ability to see difference and agreement, and upon
the ability to classify.
Take a pack of cards, shuffle thoroughly, and
deal out two hands of thirteen each. Sort one of
them into suits, and lay it face up on the table
to represent the dummy. Now sort the other
MEMORY
65
thirteen into suits and hold them in your hand as
though you were the declarer.
Count up the number of cards in each suit, one
suit at a time, in order to see of which suit you
have the greatest number. Let us suppose there
are two hearts in the dummy and three in your
hand. That would make five hearts. Four
clubs in dummy and two in your hand. That
would make it six clubs. Four diamonds in
dummy and three in your hand. That would
make seven diamonds. Three spades in dummy
and five in your hand. You would have eight
spades.
Now turn all dummy's cards face downward,
and see whether you can recollect how many
there were of each suit in the combined hands,
regarding your own as a guide. Then turn your
own cards face down, and see if you can recall
the manner in which each suit was divided be-
tween the two hands.
Pay more attention to the manner in which
the suits are divided: the number in the dummy
and the number you held. Unless you do this,
your memory will be often at fault, because
there has been no comparison. Practice in this
way for a few minutes every day, for at least a
week, or until you find yourself expert enough
to recall the number of each suit in each hand
after you have looked at them only once.
When you can do this first exercise with ease,
shuffle and deal two hands as before} but instead
66
PELMANISM
of counting the suits, see what honors you have,
and compare them with the honors that are out
against you in each suit. Suppose dummy's
hearts are ace and small} yours king, ten and
small. Observe that the queen and jack are
against you in hearts. They are in the hands of
your opponents. Again ; dummy has the jack of
clubs } you have no honor, so that ace, king,
queen and ten are against you in clubs. Dummy
has nothing in diamonds} you have king, ten}
so that ace, queen, jack are against you. Dummy
has king, jack of spades } you have ace and little
ones} so that now only queen, ten are against you
in spades.
Now turn down dummy's cards and see
whether you can recall the honors it held in the
various suits, comparing with your own cards as
a guide. Then turn down your own hand also,
and see whether you can name all the honors in
the two hands combined, and how they were
divided. Never forget this element of the di-
vision, both in the observation of the hands and
in your recollection of them, because that is the
comparison, and it is the comparison that fixes
the attention and makes the impression which is
so easy to recall.
After training with these two types of mem-
ory exercise for a little while, until you gain
some confidence, you should be ready to try the
combination of the two. Make a careful com-
parison of dummy's cards with your own. Now
MEMORY
67
you should be able to turn down dummy's cards
and recall both'the number of each suit and the
honors in it. You can then try turning down
your own cards and recalling the whole hand.
Having become fairly proficient in this, try the
comparison, and then turn down both hands
simultaneously, noting how much of the distri-
bution of suits and honors you can recall.
CARD MEMORY (2)
The next exercise consists in analyzing the
hand, with a view to understanding its possi-
bilities. Shuffle and deal two hands of thirteen
cards each, sort them, and place dummy's face
up before you, holding the other thirteen in your
hand. Suppose the declaration is "no trumps."
It does not matter whether that is the right
declaration or not, because that has nothing to do
with training the memory.
Now count up the tricks that are certain in the
combined hands, and then look for those that are
possible.
Let us suppose that dummy has king and two
small clubs and you have ace and one small club.
It is manifestly impossible for you to make
more than two tricks in that suit, no matter how
you manage it. Dummy has three spades to
the queen and you have three to the jack. You
cannot be sure of a spade trick by any manner of
play: but if the adversaries lead that suit, no
matter how or when, you must make either
68
PELMANISM
queen or jack. Dummy has four small hearts j
you hold ace and one heart. There is nothing in
that suit but one sure trick. Dummy has jack,
ten, small in diamonds, while you hold six to
the ace, queen. In that suit it is possible to make
six tricks, if the king is on your right, by leading
the high diamonds from the hand that is short
in that suit, after getting in with the club king.
Now turn dummy's cards down and see if
you can recollect these possibilities. After you
have tried the experiment a number of times,
turn down your own cards, as well as dummy's,
and see if you cannot recollect the possibilities of
the combined hands, and how they should be
played.
You should soon be able to go over the whole
ground after one good look at the two hands,
noting the distribution of the suits, the division
of the honors, and the sure and the possible
tricks.
After a little practice of this kind every day,
if you are really interested in cards, you will be
astonished at the improvement in your "card
memory." When you sit down for the actual
play at the card table, be sure to put your newly
acquired powers to the test. Take your time.
All good players study the combined hands care-
fully before they play to the first trick. Do the
same every time you get the declaration and play
the dummy. This comparison of the two hands
is the whole secret, because it demands close and
MEMORY
69
accurate observation, combined with attention,
which is the secret of all memory.
After the hand is over, while the cards are
dealing for the next hand, see if you cannot
recollect the salient points in the hand you have
just played. If you forget any particular suit,
ask your partner what he had in dummy, and
observe how you will instantly recall what you
had yourself.
When you are playing against the declaration,
train yourself to remember dummy's cards and
to compare the cards your partner leads or plays
with what you see between your own hand and
dummy. A simple example: At no-trump, your
partner leads the deuce of hearts, showing only
four in suit. Dummy has three hearts and you
have two. Then the declarer must hold four.
As you begin to feel more and more con-
fidence in your "card memory," you will try
your skill on such inferences as depend entirely
on memory. Begin with the hands in which an
opponent starts with a trump declaration, and
say to yourself, "He has five of that suit at
least." Count the dummy's trumps and your
own, add five to the sum, and you will see that
there is a limit to the number your partner can
hold. If this limit is one, do not expect him to
trump a suit twice. If it is two, and trumps have
been led twice, do not expect him to trump at
all.
70
PELMANISM
By watching the suits in which one player
fails, you can place the residue in the hand of
the other, if it is not in dummy or your own
cards. Note the number, and towards the end
of almost every hand you will be able to recall
the fact and say to yourself, for instance, "If
the declarer has two clubs left and no spades,
and the hearts are all gone, the rest of his hand
is diamonds, and he must have three of them."
Begin with the trump suit, if there is one. If
not, begin with the suit you open, or the one
with which your partner leads, and try to re-
member every card in it, and by whom played.
Then add to your practice a memory of the suit
the declarer starts with, and finally you will be-
gin to observe all the suits.
There is no great difficulty about it: it all de-
pends on whether you are able to compare what
you actually know of the cards laid on the table
by dummy or played to the tricks with what you
do not know; or infer which is the remainder of
the suit still to come. It is beside the mark to
say that you have a good memory for some
things, but not for cards. Your memory is alike
for all things in proportion as you become in-
terested in them, and train your memory in the
right way.
MEMORY
71
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS
AS TO PROGRESS SHEETS AND
TEXT BOOKS
1. Write your name and address legibly on
every Progress Sheet.
2. Your number should appear on all your
communications, otherwise much unneces-
sary labor devolves on the staff,
3. Do not think that your answer must be
confined always to the space beneath the
question j use additional sheets when you
desire.
4. The Text-Books should be kept by the
student for future reference. Remember
you will want to use these attractive and
durably bound books for years to come.
They will be a library of practical value
for you.
5. From seven to ten days are usually suffi-
cient for the mastery of a Text-Book and
the completion of the Progress Sheet, but
it is possible to do these things in a briefer
period. Everything depends on the stu-
dent's leisure. There is no fixed time for
the return of Progress Sheets.
PELMAN LESSON VIII
Lesson VIII, on Concentration, carries you
another step further in the acquisition of mental
power. About fifty-six per cent, of university
students, according to a recent survey, mentioned
"lack of concentration" as a difficulty in study-
ing. The study of the next lesson will enable
you to develop the ability to concentrate.
NOTES
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